Unitarianism
Faith in Ehad, the One God, the Creator, present before all else. Built on the worship of Ehad alone, rejecting all other devotion. Founded on the teachings of Mehir the Unifier. Ehad does not walk among men in the current age; He speaks through the Luminar, the light beings, to those with sufficient spiritual clarity, chiefly through Yaqin, the certitude cultivated by the Jud.
Holy book: The Criterion. The Unitarean holy text, the foundation of Ehad's teaching and the standard against which right and wrong are measured.
Tanash (the Dozenarean Faith)
Worship of the Banol, Ollan and Ola and their ten children, mythologised centuries after the Sand Flood into the Dozen Gods: Ollan, god of wisdom and justice; Ola, goddess of time; Tanun, god of death, war, and the underworld; and nine more sons and daughters, each governing an aspect of life, from wind and water to fertility, art, and joy. Followers believe honouring each deity in turn brings balance to their own lives and to the world. Their symbol is the Dozen's Wheel, a twelve-pointed sun, one point for each of the Tanash. Priests of this faith are called Rais (a priestess, a Raia), led by the Aqrab, believed closest to the Tanash and called the Great Shepherd. It is the most widely followed faith in the Crowndom, and the official creed of both Dar Fa₭ier and Dar Mansour.
Sacred text: the Rishtnash. The Tome of the Tanash, a guidance text on astronomy, the movement of the stars, and the Two Paths of right and wrong.
A₭itonean Faith
Also called Triunism, born in Naethira on the Andira River in Sikil, from a revelation received by the hermit Thoth. A₭itoneans believe the universe is governed by a divine balance of three: Ceres, the father, symbol of the mind; Sima, the mother, symbol of the heart; and Ħaby, the son, symbol of the body, together forming the soul. Their myth holds that the Serpent, agent of darkness, struck down Ceres, and Ħaby avenged him, tearing the Serpent apart, yet sparing it a portion of his own light, since darkness is needed to give light its meaning. A₭itoneans await Ħaby's return from the Nazolean volcanoes of the sunset lands, forbidden from hastening it by any means but repentance and good deeds.
Their symbol is the Triune, three interlocking circles, or a circle crossed by three rays. Priests are called Akhé (brothers) and Abla (sisters who guide women), led by the Abbé, the Triune's representative on Erad. Their temples are called Qulys. A₭itonism is the second most followed faith in the Crowndom, binding the four kingdoms of the A₭tondom, Britha, Sikil, Utalea, and Edaros, together.
Sacred text: the Jubilo. Drawn from the Triune Scrolls, said to be written by Thoth himself.
Mikusheanity
A faith that acknowledges Ehad but believes He betrayed the Mikush. Its priests are called Maga.
Sacred books: The Pentalogue. The Books of Salar, written by Salar the Pious, a reader, philosopher, and seeker of hidden knowledge, later known as the Pentalogue. Among Salar's recorded prophecies: the foretelling of the Mikush, a saviour to arise at the end of time. Corrupted generations later by Vedar the Malefic, the Pentalogue became the doctrine underlying Mikusheanity and the Ħith.
- Jud, the path of the Heart. Certitude of faith (Yaqin) in Ehad, channelling the Fold, power drawn from a clear heart and total surrender of material attachment.
- Ħith, the opposing path, cultivating the Self rather than the Heart. Its dark lords are called Dakans, the inciters.
- Yaqin, certitude; not wavering belief but unshakeable knowing, central to the Jud's power.
- Jibt, the shadow magic of the old world, sealed within the First Pentalogue, dangerous enough that the phrase capable of freeing Nakier from his imprisonment is said to be contained within it.
- The Fold, the power the Jud channel: frozen light drawn into their Chiwazy blades, born of Yaqin and a surrendered heart.